ALASTAIR JAMIESON
CONSUMER AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
The Scotsman
BIG-NAME labels are going out of fashion, according to trend experts and consumers who say demand is soaring for little-known niche designers and more individual outfits.
Familiar brands such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, Jil Sander and Chanel are being shunned as fashion shoppers seek a more eclectic wardrobe by uncovering exclusive boutique stores.
The consumer boom has seen shoppers from across the social spectrum indulging in luxury clothes and accessories, partly due to contemporary society's obsession with celebrities and designer labels.
Now high-spenders are hunting the "nouveau niche" - a mixture of vintage-store bargains and top-level customised outfits that cannot be found anywhere else.
American Vogue has described the phenomenon as "dress by anonymous", and has name-checked a string of obscure designers under the heading: "Completely hush-hush: this season's top frocks".
The supermodel, Kate Moss, usually an icon of big-name fashion houses, was recently pictured wearing a yellow dress of unknown origin.
"Shoppers are more individual than ever", said the fashion writer John Davidson.
"Consumers know so much more than they did ten years ago, and they want something different, something personal.
"With mainstream labels, everyone is ending up with the same look. Wives of footballers go for the recognisable outfits because they want to be seen in them. There will always be a big market for that. But the more discerning buyer now looks for something unique."
Mr Davidson added that the current trend coincides with a period of upheaval in the fashion industry, with many famous names in disarray.
"Jil Sander clothes used to be highly sought after but she left the business and a lot of her design ethos was lost. In the 1990s, everyone went for Gucci clothes because of the cult of Tom Ford, but without him there are some characterless creations.
"There has also been a shift in manufacturing. Calvin Klein T-shirts are mass-produced. "Where is the design content in that? Why should the consumer buy them instead of the simpler and cheaper version in Zara?"
One department-store buyer went further: "What no-one dares admit is that the accessibility of designer fashions has vulgarised them," she said. "Labels risk becoming being dragged into chav territory. The solution is the anti-label - the very British business of going to enormous trouble to appear as if you've not made an effort. Look at Burberry and Prada Sport, which have become real 'football terrace' labels."
Nina Grant, who has run the Corniche boutique on Edinburgh's Jeffrey Street for 28 years, said: "Our customers have always come for the niche designers such as Yohji Yyamamoto and Comme des Garcons but demand for hard-to-find items is greater than ever. We are getting everyone from 17 to 70. Knowledgeable customers no longer find things they want in bigger shops."
The trend poses a challenge for fashion stores such as Selfridges, Jenners and Harvey Nichols, as well as department chains such as John Lewis; how to keep high-rolling customers from defecting to smaller rivals such as Edinburgh's Jane Davidson and Glasgow-based Cruise.
Harrods now offers a semi-bespoke tailoring service by designers such as Welshman Julien Macdonald so that shoppers can ensure their jacket or jeans are unique.
Harvey Nichols is introducing collections from new designers into its Edinburgh store, such as Giambattista Valli - available at only three other locations in Europe - and Sara Berman, a tiny London-based designer who manufactures only limited runs of dresses. It is also one of only 25 worldwide stores to sell Lanvin, the French couture house which makes small runs of between 15 to 70 of each dress, coat and shoe.
Averyl Oates, buying director for Harvey Nichols, said: "It seems a little tired now, when people come up to you and say 'oh you're wearing the so and so dress, I've got that'. Or indeed, worse, if you arrive at a party and someone is already there wearing it - a particularly acute problem on the Scottish social scene where many customers find themselves meeting the same people over and over.
"What is more relevant to the customer is the sense of anonymity. The more pertinent questions are 'what are you wearing?' 'who is it by?' and 'where did you get it?'."
She added: "This is about unavailability, not availability. "Even teenagers in youth clubs are looking for limited-edition sneakers, the samples that never went in to production.
"It is like editing the playlist on an Ipod - the modern buyer wants a personalised choice in the coolest of environments."
American Vogue reports on the success of previously unknown designers such as Duro Olowu whose dresses have become so popular by word of mouth that customers have flown to Britain from New York to buy one.
It says: "The anonymous dress points to the individual nature of fashion now, where knowing yourself - and the look that works best on you - is paramount."
Mr Davidson added: "Consumer is king as never before. "The prices of luxury items are down in real terms and buyers demand the best materials, the best choices of stock and the best design. The standard of input from designers has to be higher than ever."
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